Donald Trump clashed with Fox News interviewer over Joe Biden’s intention to “defeat” police
Washington:
US President Donald Trump clashed with a Fox News interviewer over his claims that Democratic challenger Joe Biden planned to disband police and other issues, including the coronavirus pandemic.
During the patio interview outside the Oval Office, President Trump blamed the rise in violence in some cities on their Democratic leaders. “They mismanaged them,” President Trump said after reporter Chris Wallace pointed out that many cities have been ruled by Democratic mayors for decades.
“It was always bad, but now it’s gotten totally out of hand. And it’s really because they want to defeat the police, and Biden wants to defeat the police,” President Trump said.
“No sir he doesn’t,” Wallace replied during a difficult time in the exchange shown in a clip tweeted by Fox News on Sunday.
“Let Biden sit during an interview like this, he’ll be on the pitch crying for mum. He’ll say ‘mum, mum, please take me home’,” said President Trump.
WATCH: President Trump on violence in our cities, the battle for police funding and “cancel culture.” Check your local listings #FoxNewsSundaypic.twitter.com/s6G6PewEel
– FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 19, 2020
President Trump then claimed that Biden signed a charter with left-wing Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders to cut law enforcement budgets.
When contradicted, President Trump asked his aides to find the political charter, but was unable to find such a statement, Wallace said in subsequent comments on Fox.
The movement to defeat the police followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May, when an officer held him down with a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
It has had some impact, with New York slashing its annual police budget by $ 1 billion after weeks of protests in the city.
With contributions from AFP
